Environmental Excellence Awards

Each year, the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) seeks nominations for our annual National Environmental Excellence Awards. Applicants who are eligible to win represent a national or major achievement involving national organizations, Federal, State, tribal, or local agencies or companies; achieve a national or international contribution to the environmental with verifiable results and evidence; and achieve innovation in compliance methodology and/or integration of decision-making with environmental regulatory processes.

Selected Award Winners receive a beautiful award plaque and an invitation to briefly address participants at the Annual NAEP National Conference.

Award Categories

President’s Award

Provides evidence of an exemplary action or program that demonstrates an outstanding example of fulfilling two or more of the objectives of the NAEP categories of Environmental Excellence.

Conservation Programs

Provides evidence of an action or program that preserves, repairs, or prevents deterioration of natural resources or ecosystems in a long-term sustainable manner, improving quality of life and the environment.

Education Excellence

Provides evidence of innovative, creative, and effective educational materials, methods, and/or opportunities for individual or group learning that meets specific educational objectives related to increasing understanding of the environment and/or changing ways that we live to improve environmental stewardship.

Environmental Management

Provides evidence of systematic reviews of processes and systems that identify opportunities for innovations, interventions, and/or modifications that are then shown to effectively decrease outputs of pollution or emissions, reduce use of hazardous chemicals, recycle wastes or outputs, use recycled materials, and/or improve efficiencies that enhance the environment.

Environmental Stewardship

Provides evidence of proactive accomplishment of responsible and sustainable systems or actions to preserve, conserve, or manage the natural environment, ecology, or resources to ensure the long-term integration and application of environmental values.

NEPA Excellence

Provides evidence of the application of an effective systematic, collaborative, and interdisciplinary planning process, with the results clearly explained and well documented, that is used as the basis for making an informed, well-reasoned decisions resolving environmental challenges so as to protect, restore, or enhance the environment ensuring that the agency acts as a trustee of the environment for present and future generations of Americans.

Planning Integration

Provides evidence of effective integration and coordination of planning into decision-making processes that often do not involve environmental factors, to ensure that environmental values are considered and applied.

Public Involvement

Provides evidence that entities who are interested in and/or potentially affected by a decision are given the opportunity for engagement in ways that are innovative, creative, and effective each of the demographics and communities, and that show that their voices are heard and the outcome is influenced affirmatively by their involvement.